Fritto Misto Search Fritto Misto Most of us love deep fried seafood. When I was a child I used to get a mixed deep fried seafood from a shop on the beach, the selection included fish, scallops and calamari rings. For a really good fritto misto it is important that all the ingredients are fresh. You can vary the seafood to your own taste.

Portions: 4-6 Portions Ingredients Seafood 12 King scallops, roes and tough mussel on sides removed (you my leave the roes on if you like them) 12 large raw prawns, peeled and deveined 300g small-medium squid 600g monkfish (dark membrane removed), cod or haddock, cut into large bite size pieces 12 large mussels, bearded and removed from their shells (the green lip mussels that can be purchased on their half shells are perfect for this, they are sold in supermarkets and frozen in boxes from East-Asian grocers) juice of 1/2 a lemon 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 100g rice flour or plain four maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper oil for deep frying garlic aioli (optional, see recipe ) rocket salad (optional) lemon wedges Method Seafood: Clean the squid, remove the quell, innards, beak and eyes, and peel off the outer skin. Cut the squid into 1 cm rings and leave the tentacles whole, set aside while you prepare the batter.

Toss all the seafood with the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Marinate for 15 minutes before cooking. Batter: Place the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the water. Mix the batter until smooth. To Cook: Preheat oil in a deep fryer, wok or a deep saucepan to 180Â°C-190Â°C. *To test the temperature of the oil use a thermometer or to test it has reached 190Â°C drop a cube of bread in it and the bread should float to the top. Place the rice flour or plain flour in a bowl or on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat the seafood in the flour and then the batter. Shaking off any excess batter. Deep-fry the seafood in batches until they are golden and float to the top. Remove them from the oil and drain on kitchen paper, keep the seafood warm while you cook the rest. To Serve: Serve the fritto misto simply with lemon wedges or accompany with a rocket salad and garlic aioli (optional, see recipe ).

Frito Mallorquin - In My Shoes Travel : In My Shoes Travel In My Shoes Travel Frito Mallorquin By Lisa on Feb 08, 2013 with Comments 5 If you are visiting Mallorca, Frito Mallorquin is one dish that you just can’t leave without trying: it uses all typical ingredients and is very very tasty. I’m normally the one who promotes the “have a go” attitude but with Frito Mallorquin I’m going to say if you don’t know how to make it then don’t bother trying. It’s something that the locals are born with; you can’t learn it. If you don’t know what you are doing then you will mess it up. So the best thing to do is to find a Mallorcan abuela (granny) to make it for you. In my case, it’s a Mallorcan aunt who I turn to for my frito needs; my (local) boyfriend’s Auntie Cati. She makes the best Frito Mallorquin for miles around and the best thing is she has a huge family so she is used to making loads of extra! What is Frito Mallorquin?

Frito Mallorquin is a dish that is believed to have originated in Mallorca in the 14th century during the Arab domination. It is a filling dish which uses cheap and readily available ingredients, so it is said to have been eaten by the peasants as a treat. Nowadays it is eaten by everybody as a treat. Frito Mallorquin is a greasy dish which could certainly fall into the category of “comfort food”. It can be eaten as a starter but is often served as the main dish among families. It is eaten morning noon and night, not like paella, for example, which is eaten at lunch time only. The dish consists of potatoes, red pepper, sometimes artichokes, sometimes peas, fennel tops, olive oil, chilli, garlic, sometimes black pudding, and the main ingredient is offal – normally just liver but often kidneys too. The liver used can be from lamb or from pig and is often a product of the matanzas (slaughter). If you are not a fan of liver then you might prefer Frito de Matanzas which uses pieces of pork loin instead of offal.

Or Frito Marinero which uses seafood (see the photo at the top of this page courtesy of Click-Mallorca ). The potatoes and meat are chopped into small pieces of the same size and fried together in the olive oil with the other ingredients sprinkled in to add flavour. Where to Eat Frito If you don’t have a Mallorcan abuela handy there are many great restaurants that offer frito. Perhaps you already know some yourself and can recommend them in the comments. I can give you a few names of my own favourite restaurants but that won’t help you if you are at the other side of the island to my home town. So here’s a rule to follow: all restaurants that offer great frito will have something in common: they will be popular with the locals. So if you are planning to eat frito and you are in an area that you don’t know, simply ask a local. Restaurants that offer great frito often have a Mallorcan granny in the kitchen. They are normally busy and you might have to wait for a table. And you will normally find reasonable prices and large portions.

As you know, all the towns and villages of Mallorca have something that they are a little bit famous for; olives from Caimari , furniture from Manacor, wine from Binissalem, etc. The town that is famous for Frito Mallorquin is Sineu . If you go to Sineu, most of the bars and restaurants around the main square are local and most of them offer frito. Just take a look around and go in the one you fancy most. My own personal favourite restaurants for Frito Mallorquin in Alcudia where I live are Can Costa in the old town and S’Alhambra in the port. Both offer a nice atmosphere, Mallorcan and Spanish cooking and very economical prices. How about you? What’s your favourite place to eat frito? If you Really Must Try to Make it Yourself… Here is a recipe for those who insist on trying to do it. But do yourself a favour first: try a few portions of Real Frito Mallorquin made by a real Mallorcan abuela first so that you know what it is that you are trying to achieve.

You will need: 1 medium onion (personally I prefer leek or spring onion) 3 artichoke hearts Italian Cuisine | Recipes Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Browse All Italian Recipes : Italian Appetizers | Italian Beverages | Italian Soups | Italian Salads | Italian Vegetarian | Italian Meat Dishes | Italian Snacks | Italian Desserts Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Its roots can be traced back to the 4th century BC. The cuisine changed significantly with discovery of the New World which helped shape much of what is known as Italian cuisine today with the introduction of items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper and maize, which are all central parts of the cuisine but were not introduced in scale until the 18th century. [1] Ingredients and dishes vary by region. There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day.

Cheese and wine are also a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) (regulated appellation) laws. Coffee, and more specifically espresso, has become highly important to the cultural cuisine of Italy. Contents Edit A picture of Italian food. When contemplating the history of Italian cuisine, it is important to remember that Italy did not exist as a unified country before 1870; prior to that, it was a diverse collection of kingdoms and principalities. Indeed, as Kyle Phillips notes in the introduction to his translation of The Art of Eating Well, only a small percentage of “Italians” actually spoke Italian prior to the 20th century. This political (and cultural) diversity is mirrored by the wide variety of climatic and topographic regions that the Italian peninsula spans. Because of these conditions, there exist a great variety of dishes in the Italian repertoire. Similarly, one needs to remember that most recipes in the Italian repertoire have come down to us from generations of poor, hard-working people.

While the feasts provided by the Medici, Estes and Lombardi are the stuff of legend, court fare was more closely identified with French and Austrian cuisine and subject to changes in fashion and taste. This has little to do with what we now identify as Italian cooking, which was largely dependent on locally and seasonally available products and which probably evolved very slowly over the centuries. Several major changes have nonetheless shaped Italian cooking, notably the acceptance of tomatoes as a food in the 18th century (prior to then, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous and grown only for decorative reasons). To a lesser extent and at about the same time, potatoes became a regular part of several regional cuisines. Perhaps the most important change in the history of Italian cooking was the 1891 publication of Pelligrino Artusi's La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Manginar Bene (The Science of the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well). Artusi, a polymath, gourmand and bon vivant, traveled extensively throughout the Italian peninsula, collecting recipes as he went along. His collection became The Art of Eating Well.

By all accounts, it was the first modern cookbook to include recipes from many of Italy's regions and to present them in a common dialect. His work has been credited with fostering a national Italian culture; at a minimum, he helped forge the Italian cuisine from its many regional cuisines. Cuisines of Italy Edit Map of Italy: click to enlarge. The Italian cuisine is characterized by some specific unique dishes, like pasta, risotto and pizza, which are served in all parts of the country. However, regional differences may occur in the cooking process of a meal, resulting in variations of the same recipe, or unique specific ones of a single area, like the Napoli pizza, specific to the Neapolitan region. Also, Peperoni Imbottiti is another specific Neapolitan dish, and consists of stuffed bell peppers with Eggplant and bread crumbs. In the Tuscan region, harty soups are a common thing, as well as fish stews. Cacciucco and scottiglia are some of the specific Tuscan stews.

Other Tuscan specialties include “alla fiorentina” steak, ribollita, a thick vegetable soup and fagioli all'uccelletto, sautéed beans in garlic and sage with tomatoes . In the Piedmont region you can find a special dish called fonduta, containing melted cheese dip of milk , eggs and white truffles . Also, boiled veal tongue and fish assortments like anchovies , eels, carp , trout , and snails are available in all region. Lombardy is well known for Milan related dishes, such as spaghetti Milanese and minestrone alla Milanese, and for other specialties such as creamy Gorgonzola and polenta. Rice and peas are specific for the Veneto region, where you can also find calf's liver fried with onions, shellfish, eels and dried Cod . In Genoa region pesto is the main ingredient, and in Norcia, the Italian cuisine capital, you can find pork dishes, black truffles , and hand-made pasta like " strozzapreti ." Sicily is rich in fruits and seafood, as well as Sardinia, which is also known for sausages, sweet green olives , and Lamb steaks.

Valle D' Aosta Pinzimonio: fresh seasonal raw or slightly blanched vegetables served with seasoned olive oil for dipping Ribollita: reheated vegetable soup Ossibuchi alla toscana: osso buco, sliced braised veal shank, "Tuscan-style" Bistecca alla fiorentina: grilled Florentine T-bone steak.

In past it was also called bistecca alla florentina Crema paradiso: Tuscan creamed bacon Fegatelli di maialepig's liver forcemeat stuffed into pig's stomach and baked in a slow oven with stock and red wine Carsenta lunigianese: baked on a bed of chestnut leaves and served on Good Friday Ciaccia: from the Maremma made from maize Donzelle: round loaf fried in olive oil Fiandolone: made with sweet chestnut flour and strewn with rosemary leaves Pan maoko: equal parts wheat and maize flour, with pine nuts and raisins added Panigaccio: Lunigiana specialty made with flour, water and salt baked over red-hot coals and served with cheese and olive oil Panina gialla aretina: an Easter bread with a high fat content, containing raisins, saffron, and spices. It is consecrated in a church before being served with eggs Panini di San Antonio: sweet rolls eaten on the feast day of St.

Anthony Schiacciata: dough rolled out onto baking sheet and can have pork cracklings, herbs, potatoes and/or tomatoes added to the top along with a salt and olive oil Pan di granturco: made from maize flour Pane classico integrale: unsalted bread made with semolina with a crisp crust Schiacciatina: made with a fine flour, salt dough with yeast and olive oil Filone: classic Tuscan unsalted bread Pan di ramerino: a rosemary bread seasoned with sugar and salt. The bread was originally served during Holy Week decorated with a cross on top and sold at the Church by semellai; it is, however, offered year round now. Pane con i grassetti: a bread from the Garfagnana area, with pork cracklings mixed in Pane con l'uva: in other areas this bread often takes the form of small loaves or rolls, but in Tuscany it is a rolled-out dough with red grapes incorporated into it and sprinkled with sugar.

It is bread served often in the autumn in place of dessert and often served with figs Lenticchie di Castelluccio con salsicce: lentil stew with sausages Minestra di farro: spelt soup Regina in porchetta: carp in fennel sauce Piccioni all spiedo: spit-roasted pigeon Barbozzo: cured, matured pig's cheek Mazzafegati: sweet or hot pig's liver sausage, the sweet version containing raisins, orange peel and sugar Budellacci: smoked, spiced pig intestines eaten raw, spit-roasted, or broiled Capocollo: Sausage highly seasoned with garlic and pepper Coppa: sausage made from the pig's head Prosciutto di Norcia: a pressed, cured ham made from the legs of pigs fed on a strict diet of acorns [2] Zuppa di Valpelline: savoy cabbage stew thickened with stale bread Tortino de riso alla valdostana: rice cake with ox tongue Lepre in Civet: jugged hare Pere San Martin al vino rosso: winter pears in red wine Panna cotta: sweetened cream set with gelatin Pasta e fasioi:

 a dish of pasta and beans Polenta con gli osei: Polenta cooked with wild birds Risi e bisi: rice with young peas Sarde in Saor: marinated sardines Italian Food Glossary Edit Finding the ingredients for an Italian Recipe is not so easy when you do not know the names of the ingredients.

Take time to make a list of ingredients and the name they may be found under at the Local Markets. Check out the Italian Food Glossary . Add a Term to the Italian Food Glossary: Preparation Methods for Italian Cooking Edit Italian recipes generally call for no special cooking methods. What is more notable is the absence of oven roasting as a cooking method: reliable ovens were relatively uncommon in Italian households until long after World War II, so nearly all home cooking took place on top of the stove. Instead of being oven roasted, poultry and small game are frequently pan-roasted: actually a form of braising. Dishes which do require baking in an oven were traditionally prepared at home, taken to the local bakery for cooking, then brought back home; this explains why pizza and lasagna are rarely meant to be served at oven temperature. In addition to pan roasting, the most common cooking methods in Italian cooking are grilling, sauteeing, boiling, and poaching. Special Equipment for Italian Cooking Edit When you plan on cooking in an Italian manner, you will be in need of a lot of pots and serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs.

Big pots that can be placed over open fires are specific to this cuisine. Also, baking pots and dishes are very popular in the Italian cuisine, since a lot of meals are prepared in the oven rather than on an electric fire. The famous pizza specialties are only baked in ceramic or clay ovens to give the crispy taste to the dough. Wooden spatulas are frequently used in the cooking process, not only for stirring, but for pizza-grabbing and handling. Food processors, mixers, grinders and splatters are of great utility in this cuisine, especially in the Sausage making process, and for grating hard condiments like black pepper or cinnamon . Deep serving dishes are required for the traditional Italian pasta, for soups and for stews. You need to consider cover lids and insulated food carriers to keep the temperature of the food constant, if you plan on serving the dishes at their optimized temperature. Italian Food Traditions and Festivals Edit Italians are a nation known for their Latin blood that makes them full of life and celebration spirit. All year round there are lots of food-related festivals and traditions kept very well.

In January, in the Piedmont region, there is a luganiga festival, a celebration of a type of Sausage , celebrated with boiled sausages, potatoes and sauerkraut . Early April has a feast of the cherry trees, and the Sagra dei Garagoi, a celebration dedicated to the garagoi, or sea snails, a time when they are cooked in tomato sauce with lots of pepper . There are festas dedicated to fried flatbread, festa of the Duck , and a festa del Lambrusco when red wine is sampled with gnocco fritto, or fried puffs of pasta dough, accompanied by prosciutto and salame. All festivals usually contain a lot of music and dances, Italians being party people by nature, having dance spirit in their blood. People in Italian Food Edit Italians are gourmands by their nature, and many of them love to cook and put their personal mark on the food they prepare. Chefs have a great sense of flavor, and they know the secrets to a delicious pizza, risotto or pasta recipe. The many recipes and even more methods of preparing special traditional Italian meals are basically due to the feeling that a chef adds to the cooking process.

There are over a six hundred types of pizza and pasta-dishes in Italy and most of them are made by chefs that add ingredients according to their personal taste. Combining available ingredients depends on the chef’s personal method, and can result in Italian dishes that will become even more original and delicious than the already spectacular ones. The cooking process doesn’t stop with food, but goes on to the coffee making one, Italians enjoying every diversification of a cappuccino, macchiato or latte coffee. Are you into Italian Cooking and would like to be interviewed? Italian Recipes Nonna Lina's Kitchen ~ Italian Ingredient Glossary C CACIOCAVALLO - From southern Italy, caciocavallo (meaning "cheese on horseback") comes from cow's milk and has a mild, slightly salty flavor and firm, smooth texture when young (about 2 months). As it ages, the flavor becomes more pungent and the texture more granular, making it ideal for grating. CALAMARI - Squid or cuttlefish. Very popular in Italy either deep fried or lightly boiled and served in a seafood salad. The black ink from this seafood is used to flavor and color both pasta and risotto.

CANERDERLI - A specialty of Trentino-Adige, these bread dumplings are the Italian version of Austrian and German kn�del. Often served in rich meat broths, they are made with stale white or rye bread moistened in milk and bound with eggs, and frequently flavored with parsley, speck (a local cured ham), nutmeg, and caraway seeds. Liver is sometimes add to make canederli al fegato. CANELLA - Cinnamon. It is most often used for baking desserts and cookies. CANNELLINI BEANS - A white bean popular across Italy but particularly in Tuscany. Mild in flavor and shaped like a kidney bean, it is rarely eaten fresh, only dried. CANNELLONI - Literally translated as "big tubes", this pasta is rolled around a savory filling, topped with a sauce and baked. CANTUCCI - Hard, almond flavored biscuits or cookies commonly called biscotti outside of Italy. Originating from Tuscany, they are designed to be dipped into coffee or a sweet wine called vin santo. CAPPELLACCI - Named for their appearance as "small hats", this pasta originates from Emilia Romagna.

CAPELLI D'ANGELO - Angel hair pasta. Best served with a light sauce. CAPPERI - Capers are intensely flavored flower buds of a wild Mediterranean shrub. Either preserved in vinegar or salt they add a piquant, peppery flavor to Italian dishes. CAPRINI - Goat cheese. This cheese has a very pungent flavor which becomes much stronger as it ages. Fresh it is used in salads or as an appetizer. CAPRA - Goat. Either roasted, grilled, or, if tough, stewed. CAPSICUM - A large fleshy pepper with a sweet/mild flavour. Can be orange, red, yellow, green or black. Also known as Bell Pepper. CARDI - Cardoons. This vegetable which resembles celery is actually part of the artichoke family. They are eaten raw in salads, and fried, braised or baked as a side dish. CARCIOFI - Italian artichokes. Originating in Sicily where they grow wild, they are now cultivated across Italy. A specialty of Roman cooking, they are often braised or boiled before eating. Small, tender, young artichokes can be thinly sliced, dressed as a salad, and eaten raw.

CARNE - General term referring to all meat. CAROTA - Carrot. Combined with onions and celery it is part of the "holy trinity" in soffritto. CASTAGNE - Chestnuts. An important ingredient in Tuscan, Ligurian and Sardinian cuisine, both fresh, and dried and milled into flour. Chestnuts are poached in wine, roasted, or fried in butter as a garnish. In Piedmonte, they candy chestnuts to make marrons glace. CAVALO - Cabbage. An important ingredient in many hearty winter soups, there are a number of varieties found in Italy. Cavolo Nero is a very dark leafy cabbage found in Tuscany. CAVATELLI - This pasta looks like a small ridged square that has curled up. CAVOLFIORE - Cauliflower. Cooked in many ways including in tomato sauce. Also is used in a traditional pasta sauce. CECI - Also known as garbanzo beans, or chickpeas. Shaped like small hazelnuts, they have a nutty flavor. CHICKPEAS - See Ceci above.

CHITARRINE - A traditional pasta of Abruzzo made with a board with wires running across it on which the dough is rolled creating square shaped spaghetti like strands. CIOCCOLATA - Chocolate. CICORIA DI CAMPO - Dandelions. This peppery wild leaf can now be found in a cultivated version which tends to have a little milder flavor. Young leaves are served in salads, while older, more bitter leaves should be braised. CIMA DI RAPE - Broccole Rabe. A green bitter vegetable unless harvested young. Looks like broccoli but has skinnier stalks. The leaves, stems and florets are eaten. Really good sauteed with garlic and olive oil and served over pasta. Also known as Italian broccoli, rabe, rapini. CINGHIALE - Wild boar. These are the ancestors of domestic pigs which used to roam wild in the forests of Tuscany and Sradinia. The meat is used in the same manner as pork. CIPOLLE - Onion. This vegetable plays an important part in Italian cuisine, and a number of varieties grow in Italy. The red variety are the most common variety used for general cooking.

FAGIANO - Pheasant, usually grilled, roasted or stewed. FAGIOLI - Beans in Italian. See individual types. FAGIOLINI - String beans, either yellow or green. Usually boiled and served cold or stewed with tomato, garlic and herbs. FARAONA - Guinea Fowl or Hen. This bird is very popular in Italy and is prepared as you would prepare chicken. They are often pot roasted, or cooked in a casserole with wild mushrooms and other seasonings. FARFALLE - This dried pasta is often called bowties or butterflies for it's shape. FARINA - Flour. Most Italian bakers use 00 or doppio zero flour which is softer than all-purpose flour. If you cannot find it, use 2 tablespoons less of all-purpose flour per cup than the recipe calls for. FARRO - Farro in Italian, this hard wheat is most often used in Tuscan cuisine. One of the hardest of all grains, it must be soaked for a long period before cooking, and is commonly used in soups and salads. FAVA - Fava beans are best eaten very fresh in the spring and early summer when they are small and tender.

Later, they can be cooked and skinned. Very popular around Rome they are often served with prosciutto or pecorino cheese. See recipe for Fava Beans . FAZZOLETTI - Named for an irregular handerkerchief, these delicate pasta sheets are folded over a savory filling and topped with sauce and commonly baked. FECOLA - A starch such as corn starch used for thickening and baking. FEGATO - Liver. Usually calves liver is preferred. Fegato alla Veneziano is a famous dish made with liver. FETTUCCINE - A broad, fresh long strand pasta commonly made from eggs and flour. FICO - Figs. Figs are grown across Italy, and are eaten both fresh in the summer months and dried throughtout the rest of the year. Figs can be either purple or green, and both are sweet and tender when ripe. Often served on their own, figs are often served with nuts, prosciutto, salami, or cooked in desserts. FILBERTS - See Nociole . Also known as hazelnuts. FILLETTI DI ACCIUGHE - Anchovies.

These are small fish preserved in oil or salt and often used in Italian dishes for flavoring. FINOCCHIO - Fennel. Yet another important vegetable to Italian cuisine, it has a delicate flavor of aniseed and a very crisp, refreshing texture similar to celery. Often eaten raw, it also makes a great vegetable side dish baked or braised. FINOCCHIELLA - Fennel Seeds. Yellowish in color and very fragrant, fennel grows wild in the highlands of Italy. The seeds are used to flavor roasts of meat and fish, as well as cured meats and sausages. FIORE DI LATTE - "Flower of milk," a soft fresh cow's milk mozzarella. FONDUTA - Cheese Fondue. A mixture of melted cheese (usually Fontina) and wine into which foods like bread and vegetables are dipped, typical of Northern Italy. It may also be used as a sauce for vegetables. FONTINA - Genuine Fontina cheese comes from the Val d'Aosta area in Italy. It is a young cheese, with a mild, nutty flavor and creamy texture. Although it is great on it's own, since it melts so well, it is often used in cooking.

FRAGOLA - Strawberry. Fragola di bosco or selvatica is the wild type. FRISELLE - Also known as Frisedde or Frise, this is a hard twice-cooked bread roll that looks similar to a split bagel, which is first soaked in water, then dressed with tomatoes, oregano and extra-virgin olive oil. FRUTTA DI BOSCO - "Fruit of the forest". Refers to a mix of berries often served with lemon, sugar, or ice cream. FUNGHI - General name for mushrooms. See Porcini FUSILLI - Short, twisted corkscrew like pasta that holds sauce well. G GALLINA - Fowl. GAMBERETTI - Shrimp. There are many varieties of shrimp in the waters around Italy, including gambaretti, small pink shrimp, gamberelli, larger shrimp most often used in fritto misto or mixed fry, and larger still are gamberi. Shrimp are used in a vast number of Italian recipes. Shrimp Scampi.

GARBANZO BEANS - See Ceci GARGANELLI - This fresh pasta is a square that is rolled around a dowel over a ridged comb like tool. It's final appearance is a grooved, diamond shaped tube. M MAIONESE - Mayonnaise. MAILE - Pork. Much of the pork in Italy is turned into sausage, salami and hams, although Italians across Italy do enjoy fresh pork. Common methods of cooking it are roasting, grilling, and braising it with milk. Roasemary and sage are both popular herbs used with pork. MALLOREDDUS - A southern Italian style of gnocchi made with semolina flour. In Sardinia, they also add saffron to the dough. MANDORLE - Almonds. Two varieties of almonds are grown and used in Italy, dolci or sweet almonds used in desserts and baking, and mandorle amare or bitter almonds which are used in liqueurs and in ammaretti cookies. MANICOTTI - Large tube maccheroni stuffed with a ricotta cheese filling and baked. MANZO - Beef.

Although much of the beef found in Italy is though to be of poorer quality than that found in North America, Tuscan beef from Val di Chiana used in the famous bistecche alla fiorentna is thought to rival any other beef worlwide. Less tender cuts of beef are stewed, braised or ground. MARSALA WINE - A sweet Sicilian wine that adds a special flavour to meat dishes and desserts. MARZAPANE - Marzipan. Sweetened almond paste used in a variety of desserts. MASCARPONE - A soft Italian cheese that is a delicately flavored tripple cream cheese. Often used in the same fashion as whipped cream, it is an important ingredient in Tiramisu. MELA Apple. Widely used in pastry and desserts. MELANZANE - Often considered the Queen of Italian vegetables, this particular vegetable is especially popular in southern Italy. In Italy, there are a number of varieties of eggplants found, including the usual large purple variety, a delicate white version, and a striped reddish pink version. Very versatile, they add a depth of flavor to any dish they are added to. Perhaps the most famous dish known using eggplants is Eggplant Parmesan. .

MELOGRANA - Pomegranate. Principally used as a flavoring and coloring in beverages. MELONE- Melons. A variety of fruit which all have a thick, hard, inedible rind, sweet meat, and lots of seeds. Common examples are watermelon and cantaloupe. MENTA - Mint. Many varietes are used in cooking to flavor meats and vegetables such as zucchini and eggplants. MIELE - Honey. There are numerous different varieties of flavored honey throughout Italy. MIRTILLO - Blueberry. Eaten fresh or used in desserts. MOLECA Soft shell crab. Very popular in Venice when in season, and most commonly served fried. MOSTARDA DI CREMONA - Mustard Fruit Chutney. This Italian specialty consists of candied fruit chutney with a bite of mustard flavor that originates from Cremona. This relish is usually served with cotecchino, or a combination of boiled meats called bolito misto. MORTADELLA - This sausage originates from Bologna. It has a distinctive pink color, and is studded with cubes of creamy fat and sometimes pistachios.

It is usually thinly slices and eaten cold in sandwichesor as an antipasto with other cold cuts. MOSTO DI VINO - Wine must. Made into a syrup and used in many traditional recipes as a sweetener. MOZZARELLA - Mozzarella is a soft, white cheese with a very delicate flavor that is the cheese of choice for most recipes calling for a melting cheese. Buffalo mozzarella is made from water buffaloes aound the Naples area, and is best eaten fresh. PAGLIA E FIENO - Translates as "Straw and Hay." This is a mix of green spinach pasta and yellow egg tagliatelle or tagliolini, commonly sauced with cream, ham and peas. A Tuscan specialty. PAGNOTTA - A large round loaf of bread. PALLIARD - Thinly pounded slices of meat, often veal, chicken or beef. PALOMBO - Dogfish. Commonly stewed or used in soups. PAN AL LATTE - A light, spongy, cake-like type of bread. PAN BIGIO - "Gray bread." Coarse gray-colored bread made of unrefined flour.

PANCETTA - Unsmoked bacon made from pork belly and then cured in salt and spices giving it a mild flavor. It can be eaten raw as an antipasto, but is usually cut into strips and fried to flavor many Italian dishes. PAN CON UVA - Raisin bread. PAN DI RAMERINO - Bread flavored with rosemary, a Tuscan specialty. PAN DI SPAGNA - Sponge cake. Used in many Italian desserts such as Cassata, and Zuppa Inglese. PANE GRATTUGIATO - Bread Crumbs. PANETTONE - A tall, fat cylindrical egg-rich cake studded with candied fruit and served traditionally at Christmas and Easter. A specialty of Lombardy. PANFORTE - A dense, cake filled with dried fruits, nuts and spices that is a specialty of Tuscany at Christmas. PANINO - A bread roll, generally made for sandwiches. PANNA - Heavy Cream. Used in sauces and deserts. The most famous sauce using cream is Fettuccine Alfredo. PAPPARADELLE - A favorite in Tuscany, this pasta consists of long ribbons of fresh pasta about 1 inch wide.

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO - Parmesan. One of the best known Italian cheeses which is made in a strctly regulated fashion around the Parma area. Parmesan is a dry cheese, and has a mild flavor. It can be eaten on it's own, or grated and used in many dishes in an Italian kitchen, particulary to top a finished pasta dish. PASSATA - Pur�e of Tomato. Also used to make sauces. If you pass chopped or whole tomatoes through a food mill or blend them you will get passata. PASSATELLI - A traditional first course in the neighboring regions of Romagna and the Marche, passatelli were named because they are passed through a special iron that looks like a slotted spoon mounted on two horizontal handles. In Romagna, the dough is made with fresh bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano, and a grating of nutmeg and lemon zest; beef marrow can be used to make passatelli particularly rich. In the Marche, passatelli include ground beef, and the lemon is omitted. PASTA FROLLA - Short pastry used in baking both sweet and savory dishes.

PASTA GRATTUGIATA - Pasta dough that has been dried and then grated into very small grains, and cooked as couscous or served in broth. PASTA SGOGLIATA - Puff Pastry. Also called millefoglie. PASTA VERDE - Green Pasta, most commonly made with chopped or pureed spinach. PASTELLA - A basic batter used for deep frying, consisting of flour and water, and sometimes eggs. PASTINA - Any tiny dried pasta most commonly used in soups, as for Pastina in Brodo. PATATE - Potato. Patate fritte are french fries, and patatine potato chips. PECORINO - All Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk are called pecorino although they may vary greatly in texture and flavor. PELATI - Peeled Canned Tomatoes. You can either peel fresh tomatoes, remove the core and seeds or buy bottled or canned varieties, either whole or chopped. Buy a good imported brand, as the good brands are less acidic and give a good proportion of tomatoes to liquid. San Marzano tomatoes are an exceptionally flavorful tomato either canned or fresh.

PENNE - Shaped like a quilll from where it's name originates, this dried pasta shape is very common. PEPATO - Sicilian pecorino cheese, with black peppercorns set in the middle of the cheese. Has a very sharp flavor. PEPE NERO - Black Pepper. Pepe bianco, white pepper, and pepe rosso, red pepper are also commonly used. PEPERONI - Sweet Peppers. These peppers, also know as capsicums, come in a variety of colors. They have a sweet taste and crunchy texture, and are used in many regional recipes across Italy, often being roasted first. PEPERONCINI - Red chilies. These dried, hot peppers are added to many southern Italian specialties, including pasta sauces and pizza. PERA - Pear. Eaten fresh in place of dessert but also made into preserves, sorbetti and pastries. PESCA - Peach. Eaten fresh in place of dessert but also made into preserves, sorbetti and pastries. PERCIATELLI - Dried, thick strands of spaghetti with a hollow center. PERSICO - Fresh Water Perch. Most commonly fried. PESCE SPADA - Swordfish.

Most often sold in steaks, they can be found throughout Italy. Often grilled or roasted, they are also sliced thinly and rolled around a flavorful filling before grilling. PESCIOLINI - Tiny fish that are coated in a light batter and deep fried. PESTO - A sauce made from blending fresh basil with garlic, parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts. Traditionally, it is made by hand with a mortar and pestle. This sauce is used on pasta, as well as to flavor other dishes such as soups as a garnish. PIADINE - Thin rounds of bread that are grilled on a special pan called a testo and served with cold meats and cheeses such as prosciutto, salami and provolone. PICCIONE - Cultivated Pigeons. Also known as torresani. These are farm-grown birds, preferably less than seven months old. Piccione selvatico, is a wild pigeon, also called colombaccio or palombaccio. PICI - Twisted Tuscan noodles made by hand with a grooved rolling pin like tool. PINOLI - Pine Nuts. These are actually the seeds from the stone pine trees that grow along the Adriatic sea.

They are usually toasted before using, and are used in many Italian dishes both sweet and savory. PISELLI - Peas. Usually boiled and served with onions and garlic as a side dish, or added to soups and stews. Pisellini are small or baby peas. PISTACCHIO - Pistachio. A favorite nut for snacking, pastrymaking, gelato and as a flavoring. PIZZA - A flat yeasted bread topped with a variety of toppings, commonly including tomato sauce, cheese, meats, and vegetables. PIZZA DOLCE - Sweet Pizza. A dessert form of pizza which is topped with a variety of nuts, candied fruit, citrus and sweet flavorings. PIZZA RUSTICA - A savory tart made with ricotta, mozzarella, prosciutto, mortadella and seasonings that originated in Abbruzzi. PIZZOCCHERI - Fresh buckwheat noodles that are usually 1/2 inch wide and 4 to 5 inches long. The dish is completed with chopped potatoes, cabbage, cheese, butter and garlic.

POLENTA - A staple in northern Italy for centuries, polenta is a type of cornmeal made from ground maize. Generally, in Italy two common types are used, coarse and fine. Polenta can be served soft as a porridge type of dish topped with sauce and meat, or allowed to cool and harden and then served fried or grilled. POLIPI - Octopus. Much larger than squid, they are generally coked long and slow to tenderise them after being pounded with a mallet before cooking. Great in salads with other seafood, or on it's own. POLLO - Chicken. Very popular in many dishes such as Chiken Cacciatore, or Chicken Parmiagiana. A gallo is a cock or rooster, a gallina a hen. The free-range variety is pollo ruspante, while pollastro or galletto is a young chicken. POLPETTA - Meatball. Made from a variety of ground meat, fish or vegetables, that is most commonly fried, boiled, or cooked in sauce. POLPETONE - Meatloaf. Commonly made with a combination of ground meats, often with some vegetables such as mushrooms and onions, and cheese added.

POMMAROLA - A simple tomato sauce. POMODORI - Tomatoes. Most definately one of the most important ingredients in Italian cuisine, a number of varieties of tomatoes are grown across Italy. The best tomato for cooking is always said to be the San Marzano tomato which can be found now canned and imported from Italy. POMPELMO - Grapefruit. Eaten fresh or made into marmalade. PORCHETTA - Whole suckling pig, boned, stuffed with herbs and roasted over an open fire or in a wood-burning oven. In North America, porchetta can also refer to a boneless, rolled roast of pork studded with garlic and herbs. PORCINI - Porcini mushrooms are definitely the most famous of Italian mushrooms and many varieties can be found across Italy. Young, fresh porcini can be sliced and eaten raw, while larger caps are best grilled or sauteed. Dried porcini are also popular, and added an earthy depth of flavor to many dishes. PORRO Leak. Most commonly used in cooking, particulary soups and stews. POWDERED SUGAR - Icing sugar or confectioner's sugar.

PREZZEMOLO - Parsley. The Italian version is the flat leafed variety which has a fresh, robust flavor. It is used throughout Italian cooking to flavor an unlimited number of savory dishes. PROSCIUTTO - Italy is famous for it's prosciutto crudo, or cured ham, and the most famous ones come from the area around Parma. San Daniele hams, produced in the Friuli region are also a very popular prosciutto. Commonly eaten fresh as an antipasto, it can also sometimes be cooked to flavor other dishes. PROVOLONE - This is a southern Italian cheese that is straw white in color, with a smooth texture. Milder, fresh provolone can be eaten on it's own, although once aged it is generally used in cooking. PRUGNA - Plumb. This fruit is commonly eaten fresh, stewed, or made into preserves and dessert pastries. Prugna secca refers to dried prunes. PUNTARELLE - Wild chicory spears, with a sharp, bitter flavor that are eaten raw and dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and anchovies.

QUADRUCCI - Stuffed pasta squares that are added to soups, or clear broth. QUAGLIA - Quail. A popular small, wild game bird that is usually roasted or grilled. QUINQUINELLE - Quenelles. Dumplings commonly made from a mild fish like pike, which are bound together with egg whites and seasonings. R RABARBARO - Rhubarb. Usually sweetened to overcome it's tart flavor, and then made into a condiment or pastry. There is also a liqueur made from it. Rhubarb should be cooked because cooking inhibits or destroys the oxalic acid it contains. The oxalic acid in raw rhubarb or in rhubarb leaves is toxic. RADICCHIO - Red chicory. Generally two main varieties are found , including the round Radicchio di Verona and the long leafed Radicchio di Trevisio. This leafy vegetable has a bitter flavor, and is generally better cooked which tempers the bitterness. It can be found in salads in small quantities however, as well as being cooked in many ways. RAGU - Meat Sauce.

S SALAMI - There are an endless number of different types of Italian salami from the various regions across Italy. SALE - Salt. A fundamental flavoring and preserver of foods, and in Italy it is almost always drawn from the sea. SALMONE - Salmon. Salmon is usually poached, grilled or roasted. It may be served cold as part of an antipasto table. SALMORIGLIO - Calabrese and Sicilian condiment of olive oil, salt, garlic, oregano, parsley and lemon, often used as an easy delicious sauce for seafood. SALSA - Sauce. A general term referring to a number of dressings or condiments. SALSICCIA - Sausage, of which there are hundreds of varieties in Italy, most made with pork and seasonings. SALUMI - generic term for salt-cured meats, such as salame, salsiccia, prosciutto, bresaola. A salumeria is a shop where salumi are sold. SALVIA - Sage. This is another popular Italian culinary herb that grows wild across the Italian countryside.

It has a very strong flavor, so needs to be used sparingly, but it combines well with most meat and vegetable dishes. SAMBUCA - A colorless Italian liqueur with a strong flavor of aniseed. SARDE - Sardines. Small fish under 5 inches in length with an oily flesh. Best eaten when very fresh, although they can be bought preserved in both salt and oil. Fresh sardines are often fried, or baked. SAVOIARDI - Ladyfingers. Little, dry, finger-shaped sponge cakes. Used for such famous desserts as Tiramisu and Zuppa Inglese. TACCHINO - Turkey. A New World bird, usually roasted, though the breast meat is made into scaloppine. TAGLIATELLE - Long, flat, ribbon-like fresh pasta. TALEGGIO - A square, creamy cheese produced in Lombardy. TANGELO - Citrus fruit cross of a tangerine and a pomelo. Larger than a mandarin and a little smaller than an average-size orange. Skin colour is a bright tangerine and they mature during the late mandarin season. Mandarins, Tangerines or Oranges may be used instead.

TARTUFO - Truffles. These are part of the mushroom family, and are found underground near oak trees. They are firm, and irregular in shape, and have a very pungent, earthy aroma and flavor that is prized throughout Italy. Very expensive in price, they have a short season. Truffled flavored oil is much more reasonable in price than fresh truffles, and is now readily available. TIMO - Thyme. An herb pungent in flavor and excellent in soups, stuffing and seafood recipes. UCCELLETTO - General term for little bird or fowl, although there is a famous Tuscan bean dish called Cannellini all'Uccelleto referring to the fact the beans are cooked as they commonly prepare small game birds. UNSALTED BUTTER - Often recommended for cooking, particularly in baking. Many people prefer the taste of unsalted butter. UVA - Grapes. Italy is the world's largest producer of grapes, most being used for wine production. UVA PASSA - Raisins. Used in the making of many desserts as well in other savory dishes particularly in Sicily. UVO - Egg.

Italians are not big egg eaters, particularly for breakfast, but they do make fritattas with eggs and vegetables which are often sliced in wedges and added to an antipasti platter. V VANIGLIA - Vanilla. Vanilla, used almost exclusively as a flavoring for pastries and desserts in Italy, both from a bottled extract or preferably, utilizing the scraped seeds from fresh vanilla beans. VEDURA - Usually refers to green,leafy vegetables, though the term does refers to garden produce in general, including legumes and roots. Italians eat a wide range of vegetables, both fresh and cooked. VERMICELLI - Literally translating as "little worms", it is the name for very thin spaghetti, less than a tenth of an inch thick, well loved in southern Italy. VERMOUTH - Vermouth can be either white (dry), or red (sweet), and both are made from white wine flavored with aromatic extracts and spices. While both types of vermouth are consumed in assorted beverages, white, dry vermouth is also used in cooking in place of a dry white wine. VERZA - Savoy cabbage, usually boiled or saut�ed.

VIN SANTO - A "holy" sweet wine from Tuscany made from semi-dried grapes with a long, slow fermentation. Often served with small almond cookies called cantucci for dipping. Z ZAFFERINO - Saffron. This flavoring ingredient consists of the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus. Very expensive, it imparts a warm golden color and subtle flavor to risotti and sauces. The most famous Italian dish using saffron is Risotto Milanese. ZAMPONE - This is a specialty sausage from Modena, and is a pig's leg stuffed with minced pork shoulder and other cuts of meats. It has a unique flavor and is quite fatty. It is commonly served with stewed lentils as a side dish. ZITI - Tubular maccheroni originally from Southern Italy. ZUCCA - Commonly known as winter squash in North America. A family of vegetables that has a thick, hard, usually inedible rind, rich-tasting meat, and lots of seeds. Pumpkin is a popular filling for tender tortelli in Mantua, and is also used in risottos and soups. ZUCCHERO - General name for sugar.

ZUCCHINI - A long, green squash that looks something like a cucumber. Also known as vegetable marrow, and courgette. All Content, Graphics & Design � Nonna Lina's Kitchen, 2002+. Site design by indigoBlues.ca

Question: What is the main ingredient of the Italian dish 'Frito Misto'?
Answer: SEAFOOD